Do you look at the bright side of life and anticipate good fortune and success? Or, do you feel that you are missing something when it comes to good luck and fortune?

Do you have winning personality traits?

Answer “Yes” or “No”

1. I expect to win.
2. I often follow my intuition.
3. I see the bright side of a problem.
4. I seize opportunities in unexpected situations.
5. I'm open to new opportunities.
6. I'm optimistic.
7. I take steps to improve my life.
8. I live in the present.
9. I'm usually relaxed.
10. I'm open-minded.

Scoring: Add your Yes responses. The higher your score, the luckier you perceive yourself to be. You probably create your own good fortune, expect to win, are alert to new opportunities, and do what it takes to improve your life.

Tips for Creating Luck

- Review the fortunate experiences you've had over the past five years, and note when you've had good luck. List people, circumstances, and resources that influenced your luck. Talk to others about their good luck, and identify what they did to facilitate good fortune.

Develop a success journal. Write down your successes weekly. Note the role luck played in achieving them, and the strategies you used to influence your luck.

- Be flexible, open to new experiences. Recognize opportunities and take advantage of them. Perceive patterns, and make connections between seemingly unrelated ideas, objects or events. View commonplace things in new ways.

Take advantage of unexpected good fortunes. Don't procrastinate. The window of opportunity may not last long.

- Dare to risk. Every new venture has an element of risk. You can't grow and succeed without stretching, risking. Explore new opportunities. Don't fear mistakes. Ask yourself, "What's the worst thing that could happen?" Decide whether you could live with the worst scenario, or take steps to reduce the chance of it happening.

Look upon something new, different, or unknown as exciting -- an opportunity to challenge yourself and to grow. If you don't try, how will you ever find out if you can do it?

- Set goals, and develop an action plan. Break the goal down into small steps. Every day do at least one activity related to achieving it. Know resources that can help you attain the goal. Work hard. Focus. Expect success.

- Build networks to exchange ideas and offer assistance. Opportunities to create chance experiences are greater with a strong network of contacts and resources. Attend professional and community meetings. Plan to meet at least two new people at each new gathering. Take the initiative. Follow up and show appreciation for help and contacts.

- Prepare for, and welcome the unexpected. Recognize opportunities that might have eluded you previously. Believe in your ability to create luck.

Louis Pasteur said, "Chance favors the prepared mind." A myriad of opportunities won't help unless you're prepared to use them. Luck occurs when preparation meets opportunity. I was in the right place at the right time. But I also created my luck. I seized the opportunity when it was presented.